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Category Archives: 2013 Goals

2013 was a good, a bad, and a terrible year all at once. Some of the most important beings in my life are well and healthy so it was a good year. But progress wise it was kinda bad and at the end November was just a big blow. Fortunately December was pretty mild and okay, it had its share of holiday cheer and enthusiasm but a lot didn’t get done. Over all though 2013 was a year of didn’ts.

I didn’t reach my goal weight. I didn’t watch 1oo movies. I didn’t raise my GPA. I didn’t volunteer more. I didn’t visit the Getty and the Museum of Tolerance. I didn’t enter a photography competition. I didn’t go rock climbing, didn’t apply to grad school, didn’t film a short, didn’t sustain my blog, didn’t buy cowboy boots, or fly a kite, write a short story, ride a horse again, or give a random guy my phone number. So as you may see a lot of things just didn’t get done.

I did watch 85 movies though, spent time with the two most amazing beings in my life (my niece and nephew), and read 12 books. I also visited the LACMA, turned 21, shared plenty of laughs with those I love, tried thai food for the first time and completed an amazing internship. I did fall and stood back up. Survived through a terrible month. Went to stagecoach. Became more passionate about filmmaking and cooked many a meal for my family. I did live.

So yes, I could focus on all the didn’ts and cracks and tears and pain and 2013 would seem like a hell of a year, but as I see all my dids, unplanned dids but done dids none the less, I see 2013 was a hell of a year, but not always in a bad way.

Tomorrow I go back to school which is great and nerve wrecking as always, after a little over three months of summer break back to school it is for me. I am definitely ready and a little bit scared since I am trying to graduate this year versus waiting one more year as was my original plan. Hopefully it will be a great school year and hopefully I will get accepted into a masters program. Well without further ado here are the last five films I watched 🙂 What are your last five?

I had been wanting to watch 50 First Dates since years ago but never got around to it, the premise of this movie always seemed funny to me: A girl with a damaged short term memory and a guy who avoids commitment and goes to great lengths to get her to commit to him. While it isn’t a masterpiece chances are you aren’t looking for a masterpiece if you are in the mood for this movie. I found this movie to be laugh out loud funny and heart warming, with solid performances by both Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore.

As a finale for the dark knight series this is a very satisfying one. No loose ends are left, all seems to end well and best of all it is clear that Batman will live as long as the world needs a Batman. It’s true there are way too many things going on at once, there are some events that lack logic and at 2 hours and 45 minutes you would expect to see more Batman action, but as a finale it succeeds leaving you content and setting forth how the legend of the bat continues. On a unrelated note Anne Hathaway as cat woman was a perfect fit.

I have love cinema and I am trying to learn French so watching French films seems like a major win to me. This film titled “Happiness” in French explores if happiness is divided or multiplied, if the more the merrier is actually true and to what lengths are women capable of forgoing themselves in order to make a man happy. Visually, the whole film is picturesque with a dream like quality and well composed scenes that seem more adequate to a painting.

At thirty-four minutes this little gem is a great investment of time and despite being nearly silent and having no “action” scenes it does captivate children’s attention. The Red Balloon is magical and entertaining in a way few if any children’s films are, it tells the tale of a friendship that develops between a child and a red balloon. I love the way the color of the red balloon contrasted with the gray surroundings and the nostalgia for childhood this short evokes. The nostalgia for that time when any thing could be our beloved friend.

Larraín’s film offers insight into the creative process behind advertising campaigns and media’s impact on society, while bringing back into the radar an event that is perhaps forgotten: Pinochet’s dictatorship and descend. Beyond this the film explores themes of money, love, power, and the compromises and power struggles behind democracy. Stylistically the film contains clips from the original “NO” campaign and matches its look to those clips, giving the whole piece a retro look and documentary feel. The film does exaggerate the power of the campaign and glosses over many facts but as the director himself said this is not a documentary it is a piece of “art.”

One of my New Years resolutions for two thousand thirteen was to watch 100 movies or about 8.3333 movies per month, so far I’ve only seen 41 movies which means that yes I am behind but the procrastinator in me likes to believe there is still time. If worst comes to worst I’ll just watch movies back to back, with no sleep or potty breaks for the last week of the year.

Anyways with out further ado here are five movies I’ve most recently watched:

A quirky French-Belgian comedy about Fiona, a mental hospital escapee who claims to be a fairy and a offers Dom, a sparkles concierge, three wishes. Sweet with its laugh out loud moments I consider this film an enjoyable watch. At some points it did have me wondering what in the world was going on but that was part of the enchantment.

One word: Minions. ‘Nough said. The Minions, Gru, the girls, along with Dr. Nefarious and all the new characters will keep you entertained plenty. And while some say you don’t need to watch the first to get the second I do think you need to be a fan of the first to fully enjoy this one. Where the first was more heartfelt this one is pure entertainment. Cute, funny, sweet family entertainment.

I really think this movie is a must watch. At first this film seems to be about the pregnancy but when the hilarious birthing scene occurs at about a third of the way through, it makes you wonder what the rest of the film will be about and if it can truly keep your interest. Well it does and does it well. The movie shifts from how a baby changes an expecting mother on the physical level to the transformation within. Beyond this, this film is about life, love, family, couple dynamics and childhood traumas.

When I heard this movie was being made I rolled my eyes and gagged (okay, just rolled my eyes). This originally intended as a direct to DVD movie seemed like Cars but with planes and while there is some truth to that it is also a lot more engaging than expected. Or maybe because I had such low low low expectations this movie seemed worthwhile. The story line is predictable yet manages to keep you (and the little ones) engaged and with its offbeat jokes and use of stereotypes it also manages to steal some laughs.

For all Justice League fans this one is a must. It is filled with super hero action and psychology. In this movie the Justice League members face their greatest nemesis and confront their biggest weaknesses. Will the Justice League heroes survive? Will they save the world from Vandal Savage’s villainous plan?

About this blog

Here I write about whatever comes to mind and the occasional update of the progress towards completing all my new years resolutions before wringing in the new year.
I like movies, tea, rainy days, peaches, my family, and new experiences. Life is tough sometimes but that doesn’t make it any less amazing!